Life After Death
by stlouish682
Summary: Cassian and Jyn survive Scarif, using new technology. What's next for the survivors?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: A Risk Worth Taking**

"I will get us out of here," Cassian whispered, as he hugged Jyn tightly, on the beaches of Scarif. He didn't know how he would get off this destroyed planet, but he would. His droid, K2S0 was gone. So was every friend he made on this mission, except Jyn, and he was determined to let her live. She didn't answer his whispered promise. She probably couldn't hear him over the roar of the wind that blew across the water. They watched together, as the water evaporated and boiled, like a pot on a stove, and then Cassian got an idea. A brilliant idea. He couldn't believe it had taken him so long to think of it.

"Jyn, do you trust me?" Cassian asked. Even if she didn't, he didn't care. He stood up, dragging her to her feet. Ina swift motion that seemed impossible with the pain in his ribs, he began to run. All he had to do was make it to the control tower, where they had just sent the Death Star plans to the Rebel ships. Jyn stumbled along behind Cassian as they ran. She didn't understand what he was doing. You couldn't run away from destruction of this scale.

"What are you doing?" Jyn finally asked, as they reached the base of the control tower.

"I'm going to upload us to the same ship we sent the plans to." Cassian laughed. He sounded crazy. He pounded the up button on the elevator shaft until the doors slid open.

"You're going to upload us?" Jyn scoffed as he pulled her inside the elevator.

"Yes! It's an experiment that the Resistance has been working on. Teleportation. Instead of putting the data chip in the control module, we open the entire hub, and instead of transferring a chip, we transfer us. It will work!" Cassian rambled excitedly as the elevator ascended the side of the tower. From the height, Jyn could get a full view of the destruction that was being caused. The entire planet of Scarif was being ripped apart, molecule by molecule and Cassian was telling her that they could teleport to a ship.

"I hope your right." She said, watching as the beach began dissolving. If they had stayed on the warm sand, they would have certainly met their death.

"Me too," Cassian said, too quietly for Jyn to hear him. The doors of the elevator opened and Cassian took off toward the transfer console with the speed of a man who was not bleeding to death. Jyn evaluated his injuries. She estimated that the blaster may have caused minimal damage, but the fall from the data tower probably broke several ribs. She didn't understand how he was walking. His leg was clearly broken.

In a matter of seconds, Cassian had the hub of the control module wide open. Jyn stood behind him, watching him work on the machine. There appeared to be just enough room for one person. He had no idea how he was going to fit him and Jyn into the hub, but if he had to choose he would send her.

"Get in." He commanded. Jyn took a step forward and considered the entrance Cassian created. "Come on, quickly. I don't think there's room for both of us." He admitted.

"There's either room for both of us, or neither of us are going anywhere." Jyn barked defiantly. She stepped over some cables and entered the pod. It would be a tight fit, but Cassian hoped he would be able to squeeze in beside her. He typed a sequence into the control panel then maneuvered himself around the cables. Standing in the pod with Jyn, he realized how tiny she was. She was at least a foot shorter than he was. Her slender frame came from years of living as a fugitive, skipping meals because she couldn't afford to eat. He fit with just enough room between her and the opposite side of the pod. The control panel chirped once and the pod began to shake.

 _It's now, or never,_ Cassian thought to himself as the teleport sequence started. He looked down at Jyn. She wasn't paying attention to him. She was looking out, toward the top of the data tower.

"Hey." He said, bringing her focus back to him.

"Yeah?" She asked. The pod shook harder. Without thinking, Cassian leaned down and kissed Jyn. His lips pressed against hers in a hurried, needy way that briefly made Jyn want him to do more than kiss her. Her lips were dry—a product of years of desert air and outdoor labor. He brushed her hair away from the side of her face as he deepened the kiss. They were still kissing when their ears simultaneously popped. Jyn yelped in pain, pulling away from Cassian. Instinctively, his hands flew to his ears. Everything around them was gone. White, blinding light flooded the pod. The shaking intensified, lasting a few seconds and then everything went black.

"Ackbar, incoming transmission." Admiral Raddus barked. General Ackbar swiveled his chair around to look at the control panel behind him. It was a transmission, but the codes that were flashing on the screen he had only ever seen in training.

"That's no transmission." Ackbar spoke in basic to his superior.

"What is it then?" Raddus asked.

"That's a teleport." Ackbar stood up and went to the control panel. "It's a teleport from Scarif." He typed in a code to accept the teleport, and then prepared for the worst. His claw went to his blaster and waited for the teleport to appear. A human's form began to appear on the teleportation pad, and beside that, another human was appearing as well. Ackbar drew his blaster and pointed it at the pad.

"I am Cassian Andor. Pilot of Rogue One." Cassian's voice began to come to Ackbar, echoing through the stabilization process. "I mean no harm. I have Jyn Erso with me. We are unarmed and injured." Cassian continued. Ackbar reholstered his weapon.

"Pilot Andor, it is a pleasure to see that you have survived." Ackbar greeted him when the stabilization process was complete. "It is my greatest pleasure to have worked with you on this mission." Cassian nodded, unable to say much else. "I will send message to the medical team and they will take care of you." Ackbar added. Cassian helped Jyn to the steps that led to the teleport pad and sat down, straightening his broken leg, and putting an arm around Jyn.

"You have a teleportation pad." Cassian laughed. It wasn't a question, it was a statement of awe. He hadn't even thought of what would happen if the ship didn't have one.

"It's new. It was installed right before this mission. The Princess insisted that it would be useful to me. I now understand." Raddus said. He had joined Ackbar in greeting their new guests. "I am Admiral Raddus, it is a pleasure to serve you." He said. He extended his claw for Cassian to shake. Cassian grasped the hard, smooth claw that served as Raddus's hand

"The medical team will be arriving shortly." Ackbar informed Cassian. Jyn sighed, whether in pain or impatience, no one could tell. Cassian kept his arm around her, supporting her, but also needing to be near her.

"Thank you." Cassian said.

"I do have to ask, Andor, how did you know that we would have a teleportation pad? The idea is still in its infancy." Raddus asked. Cassian shrugged. There was no good answer, he just knew that it would work.

"Something told me that I had to survive, that I had to make sure Jyn survived. I wasn't sure if it would work, but I had to try. It was my only hope." Cassian admitted.

"I was against teleportation until now," Raddus said. "It always seemed so unnatural. The idea of moving living beings like we do data disturbed me. Now I am glad that the Princess convinced me to install a pad. Without that pad, I don't know what would have happened to you."

"It was a risk that I had to take. I'm glad I did." Cassian was losing energy. His voice was getting softer and softer as his shirt grew darker and darker with blood from his injury.

"It was a risk worth taking." Ackbar concluded.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Honorable Mention**

For days Cassian lay in the hospital ward of Raddus's ship. He had several broken ribs, according to the medical droid, and his leg was definitely broken. The droid recommended that he stay in bed. Somehow, after a thorough examination, Jyn was pronounced relatively healthy. Minus a few cuts and bruises she was doing just fine and was not restricted to bed rest. Cassian was going absolutely stir crazy waiting to be healed.

Jyn would visit him multiple times a day, but so far neither of them had been able to bring themselves to discuss the kiss that they shared on Scarif. It was hard to think that they kissed on a plane that now didn't exist. Cassian was still in the process of accepting the fact that teleportation worked and they had survived. It felt like a dream.

On the sixth day of mandatory bed rest, Jyn came into Cassian's room carrying a plate of food for him. She sat it on the table next to his bed and then sat down on one of the plastic chairs. Cassian could tell that something was on her mind.

"What's wrong?" He asked, reaching for the plate of food.

"I heard some rumors on the bridge. Princess Leia wants to meet with us when your well." Jyn explained.

"Oh." Cassian wasn't too surprised. He was sure that they would be considered heroes for what they accomplished.

"There was something else." Jyn's voice grew soft. "Back on Scarif, in the pod. You kissed me." Her voice was accusatory.

"Yes, I did." Cassian blushed. "Sorry."

"Why?"

"Why am I sorry, or why did I kiss you?" He took a bite from the food and grimaced. He had never been a fan of space food. "I'm sorry because clearly, it was a bad decision. I kissed you because at the time, I thought we were going to die. It seemed like the proper thing to do." He shrugged, wincing at the pain such a simple action caused him lately. Jyn hesitated, unsure of how to interpret his answer.

"It caught me off guard." She said. Cassian nodded. "I didn't hate it though." She tried to laugh. Cassian dropped his fork, sending bits of food across the mattress. Jyn picked up the fork, cleared off the mess and handed it back to Cassian. When he reached out for it, their hands touched, briefly. The feeling was something that Jyn was not used to. The feeling of Cassian's hand on hers was not menacing like she was used to. It was gentle and comforting. Jyn thought for a moment about kissing Cassian, as he lay helpless in his bed, but she thought better of it. After all, even Cassian admitted that he had only kissed her because it seemed like the right thing to do.

"I should go." Jyn suggested, standing up.

"Jyn," Cassian started. "I know you've had a hard life, but it doesn't always have to be so complicated. Trust your instincts. Trust me." He hesitated as he said the last part. "Whatever happens to us, trust the fact that you will always have me by your side." Cassian finished as she reached the door. She didn't turn back to acknowledge him, but as the door slid shut behind her, there was a smile on her face.

For another week, Cassian was stuck in the medical ward. Jyn hadn't come back around and he was growing lonely. There was no one to talk to. Medical droid rarely had anything to say, unless his blood pressure was elevated. He was beginning to think that Jyn had been scared off when the doors of his room slid open. She entered first and was followed by General Ackbar and then Princess Leia. He had never met the princess in person, but knew it was her, the second he saw her.

"Cassian Andor, the bravest pilot in the galaxy." The princess quipped. "I am so glad that you are healing well. It's time to discuss your next step." She said.

"My next step?" Cassian asked. Jyn sat down beside him. There was something different about her but he didn't dwell on it.

"Scarif has been completely obliterated. You and Erso have been considered dead by the Empire. That is a good thing, because they know you are the ones who stole the plans to the Death star." The princess explained. Cassian was going to interject but thought better of it—it was rude to interrupt the Princess.

"Since you are already dead in the eyes of the Empire. I feel that it is best that you are dead in the eyes of the galaxy." The Princess put a hand in her pocket and pulled out something. For a second, Cassian was sure that it was a blaster. After almost two weeks of recovery, he was going to die anyway, at the hands of the Princess.

"I want you to take this map and follow it to the location I have marked for you. It will take you to an uninhabited planet past the outer rim. No one will ever think to find you there. I will give you enough credits to make the journey, and to get a life started there, but once you are on that planet, you may never leave. You and Jyn have to stay there, undetectable, and presumed dead, for the rest of your lives."

"Jyn is coming with me?" Cassian didn't mean to sound as excited as he was.

"We can't let anyone know that either of you have survived. She will join you. Unfortunately, isolation is the only way to keep you both safe." Princess Leia explained.

"I understand." Jyn spoke up. "You can't let anyone know we survived, because it will jeopardize everything that you're working for." Jyn said. The Princess nodded.

"We are picking up a small trans-planetary ship shortly. It should be plenty equipped to get you to the location on the map. It should only be a five or six-week journey without hyperspace." Ackbar explained. His communicator chirped and he touched a button on the side of his gear. "Princess, we are ready for you to exit." He said. The Princess acknowledge Ackbar with a simple nod, then turned back to Jyn and Cassian.

"Erso, Andor, I wish you the best for the rest of your life. Enjoy your journey." She said, then departed the hospital room. As soon as they were alone, Cassian took the chance to look at Jyn. He hadn't spoken to her at all in almost a week.

"We're going to be living together on a deserted planet." He chuckled. "Imagine that."

"That's what the Princess and Ackbar think is best. If not, Darth Vader and Tarkin will be after us for the rest of our lives. The Princess thinks it will protect us." Jyn said. Cassian nodded, smiling at the situation. He was desperately trying to find the bright side of the situation.

"Do you think it will protect us?" He asked. Jyn shrugged. "They're taking two people who have no family, and no connection to anything else and putting them on a deserted planet, where it is implied that it will be just the two of us, until the end of time. It sounds like an odd science experiment." He laughed.

"I don't want to go." Jyn countered, "but I don't feel like I have a choice. Somehow in surviving an impossible situation, we have managed to lose our rights and are being shipped away to live in solitude, like some sort of lepers."

"Are you ready to go?" Ackbar came back into the room.

"Am I able to?" Cassian asked. It was a fair question. Medical droids had become scarcer and scarcer as he healed. He had been instructed to remain in bed until otherwise told, and he hadn't been otherwise told.

"We'll help you to the ship, and then the rest is up to you." Ackbar said. "We'll give you enough medical supplies to get you through."

As Jyn and Cassian were escorted from Ackbar's ship to the landing platform, they caught the tail end of a speech that was being given by Princess Leia. Cassian hesitated on his crutches as she finished speaking about the destruction of Scarif.

"It is important that the lives that were lost on Scarif are not forgotten. There were more than 100 confirmed dead in the destruction, and today I am sad to announce that Jyn Erso, a Rebel supporter, and Cassian Andor, one of the best pilots that the Rebellion has ever seen, were included in that list of dead." Princess Leia spoke to the crowd as a professional. She was diplomatic, and spoke clearly, as if she had given this speech a hundred different times.

"That's how we go out," Cassian huffed, "An honorable mention at the end of a Princess's speech." He hobbled along beside Jyn, who didn't acknowledge what he had said. No one knew that they were alive, just as the Princess had hoped, and they were being ushered off to a deserted planet to live in solitude for the rest of their lives. The escort opened the doors of the ship and stood aside as Jyn and Cassian entered.

"Princess Leia wanted to make sure that you were set for your journey, so she wanted give you something else. It's in the ship already, programmed for etiquette and discipline. It also knows some basic cleaning and cooking. It doesn't have an official name, but I call it Hi Five." The escort said.

"A protocol droid?" Cassian asked. He and Jyn exchanged a look, remembering the quirkiness of K2SO. Cassian smiled. "Hi Five would be a short name for its model number?"

"Yes, sir. H5F1." The escort said.

"Tell Princess Leia that we appreciate the gift." Jyn said. She turned to help Cassian onto the loading ramp and before the doors were even closed, the escort had disappeared.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Stir Crazy**

Two weeks into their journey, Jyn still felt like the Princess had exiled her and Cassian. They seemed to be no closer to their destination, even though the map claimed that they would reach their planet in three weeks. The planet's name still hadn't appeared on the map, and Jyn had a sinking feeling that it never would. The Princess had sent them on a wild goose chase, expect it wasn't a chase it was an expedition. She was sure that they would die on this ship.

The ship, however, was very well stocked. It had years' worth of food, drink and medical supplies. It even had a store of basic supplies to build a large shelter once they reached their destination. Cassian had taken it upon himself to design a house as they traveled, leaving Hi-Five to navigate the ship most of the time. Jyn spent most of her time on the ship trying to figure out how she was going to spend the rest of her life. What if they were sent to a desert planet? She hated sand. Or a frozen world? She wasn't happy about the mystery of their expedition.

"It's important to keep a schedule when you're traveling through space like we are." Cassian warned her one day when he found her awake at five in the morning, standard time, sitting in the galley alone. "If you lose track of time, it can make you go completely mad." He added with a hint of a smile in his voice. He joined her at the table.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked when he didn't get an initial response.

"Everything," Jyn said. "I hate that we're still on this ship, traveling to only god knows where. It's so frustrating." She admitted. He sighed. Cassian understood her frustration, but he was having a hard time not enjoying the traveling. He had always wanted to just get in a ship and go somewhere, and Princess Leia had given him that opportunity. He reached out and touched Jyn's arm. She didn't flinch away from him like she usually did. He let her run his hand up her forearm, trying to comfort her.

"When we get to wherever it is that we're going, I'm going to build us the best house. It's going to have a huge living room, where we can hang out and read our books. Princess Leia gave us an immaculate library. I'll build us an amazing kitchen. I figured I can just scrap the kitchen appliances from here, since the ship will be mostly unusable after we land." Cassian babbled excitedly about his plans.

"I can't believe you're excited about being exiled." Jyn shook her head, incredulously. She was more worried about how they were going to survive on a world uninhabited by no one. What would they do when their food supplies ran low? Starve? Was that the Princess's plan all along? They had become an inconvenience, so now the Princess sent them away.

"You have to see the bright side of things." Cassian said. "When you're mad at the Princess for exiling you, just remember, you escaped near impossible circumstances. You survived, where hundreds died." Cassian tried to brighten the situation. "And now you get to spend eternity with me." He tried to laugh.

"Well I guess there's that." Jyn laughed too.

"We could make the best of the fact that our only other companion is a protocol droid, who is programmed for etiquette." Cassian raised his eyebrows, in an attempt to flirt. "It's just me and you. The last two humans in the world." Cassian added.

"Don't start that." Jyn said. She was blushing. Her face felt like it was on fire.

"I didn't say that being the last two humans in the world was a bad thing." Cassian laughed. He was blushing too. Jyn caught herself, briefly staring at the collar of his white, cotton undershirt, wondering how quickly she could remove it. "Our kids would be adorable." Cassian laughed, still a deep shade of red. Jyn unwillingly grimaced. She hadn't said it aloud, but she never liked the idea of having kids. In her experience, kids were a dangerous attachment. They usually got left behind when the adult decided that they were no longer able to keep up.

"You think that's why the Princess is sending us to a deserted planet? To populate it?" Jyn joked. Cassian thought about it for a brief second.

"It could be fun trying." He laughed. His laughter was cut off by a rattle that went through the entire ship. "Let me just go check on Hi-Five." He said. He stood up and then immediately lost his balance as the ship shook again.

Jyn watched as he walked away from her. Conversations with Cassian always left her yearning for more. She loved listening to his accent, and carefully placed words. He had a way of speaking that could infuriate her, and ignite a fire in her. She would probably never admit it, but she was beginning to love him.

Cassian walked through the corridor of the small ship to find Hi-Five in the cockpit. The droid was sitting in the pilot's chair, like he belonged there. He was a protocol droid, programmed for etiquette and service, not flying a ship, but had warmed up to the idea rather quickly, which Cassian appreciated.

"Hi-Five, is everything ok?" Cassian asked.

"Quite fine, sir."

"Did you hit some turbulence?"

"Turbulence, yes, and a small meteoroid." The droid said. Cassian couldn't tell if his robotic voice was laden with sarcasm or if he was being serious.

"Well is the ship okay?" Cassian asked, slightly panicked.

"Yes, sir." The droid said. Cassian took a seat next to the droid and began checking gauges and systems. Everything looked fine. Hi-Five had handled the situation perfectly. Damage was minimal, but Cassian wondered if they should land on a nearby planet and refuel. Perhaps it would do Jyn some good to get off the ship for a little while, while he looked it over.

"How would you feel about landing the ship for a while, Hi-Five?" Cassian asked.

"That is against orders, sir."

"Against orders? Hi-Five, you're here to serve me and Jyn." Cassian said. He was confused. The protocol droid was a gift to make their travels easier, but it appeared that the droid still thought that it was under Princess Leia's command.

"I was given orders before joining you on board sir, no landing, for any reason." The protocol droid explained. Cassian's brow furrowed. He liked having a protocol droid on board, but sometimes it was irritating.

"Fair enough." Cassian said, defeated, and dropping the subject. He made a mental note to check Hi-Five's wiring later. He wondered if he could rewire him to only follow the commands of himself and Jyn, completely deleting Princess Leia from the droid's data bank.

Cassian stayed in the co-pilots seat for a few hours, navigating the ship through a small asteroid field and reallocating the travel time. He had uploaded the map that Princess Leia had given him to the navigation system a while ago, so he checked it now, seeing if the name of the planet had been revealed to him. Where the name of the planet would have bee n, there was a string of letters. Ahchto. Cassian had never seen that combination of letters before. He narrowed his eyes at the star field that was being displayed on the map. It was thousands of light years away, weeks of travel away, according to the map. The five or six-week journey would likely be a ten, or even twelve-week trip, from their current position. Right then, Cassian made the decision to not tell Jyn about the distance they had left to travel. It would drive her mad.

For lunch, Cassian returned to the galley, to find Jyn sitting where he had left her that morning. She had changed into some new clothes though, and her hair had been combed into a style that Cassian thought suited her very well.

"I made Correlian soup for lunch." Jyn said. She pointed to a pot sitting on the stove. "I thought you might like a hot meal, instead of the dehydrated stuff." She added. Cassian fixed himself a bowl of the soup and sat down, next to Jyn, rather than across from her.

"You can cook." Cassian spoke between mouthfuls of the soup. "I didn't expect that."

"Actually, I just thought I would try it, because I have to have something to do. I'm going crazy just wandering the ship day in and day out, and I found the cook book in the library." Jyn explained.

"It's good." Cassian complimented her. "I'm glad you found something to do. It will help you keep yourself balanced." He said, speaking as an experienced traveler.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: The Fate of Hi-Five**

"Weeks." Jyn said desperately. "It has been weeks since we started out on this ship, and we are no closer to our destination. That damned map changes every day." She shouted at Cassian, who was sitting in the pilot's seat, looking at the charts, worried. "We're going to run out of fuel and crash." She paced the cockpit nervously. "We need to find a planet, deserted or not, and land. Land this piece of shit ship so that I can get out and see fucking sunshine and feel the breeze on my face!" She shouted. Cassian sighed. He understood, very well, what Jyn was going through, but he didn't know what to do to help her. He could land the ship on the nearest planet, if he could find one. So far, as far as he could tell, there were no planets around, just empty space.

"Jyn, you need to relax. Calm down and take a deep breath." Cassian spoke softly. "We are not trapped on this ship. We aren't. I'll find a place to land, and as soon as I do, we'll go outside and explore the world that we've found." He tried to reassure her but he knew it was no use. She wasn't used to being "corralled" as she called it, and was desperate for something to do.

Cassian tried to soothe her. She was distraught, it hurt him that there wasn't anything he could do for her. He stood up, leaning down to kiss her forehead before he walked away. She reached out for his hand. Looking down at Jyn, he said something softly in his native tongue and kissed the back of her hand.

As he walked away, he felt his chest tighten. He was tired of watching Jyn loose herself, a little more every day. They had been traveling for weeks, with no end in sight—he knew that, and he understood Jyn's frustration. The more time he spent on the ship with her, the more he realized that it wasn't the ship that was driving him mad. It was her. As long as he was around her, he didn't care where he was, or what he was stuck doing. While they were careful about admitting their feelings for each other, Cassian felt that that was the most frustrating part of their journey.

Maybe if they had met under different circumstances, things would be different between them, but now, stuck on the ship with a protocol droid, both of them took measured caution when expressing their feelings. Kissing her on the forehead, and the back of her hand was the closest he had come to expression of emotion since they were stuck on Scarif. Often, Cassian wondered, if dying on Scarif would have been less painful. Certainly, less complicated.

"Hi-Five," Cassian raised his voice to get the protocol droid's attention. "I need you to do me a favor?" The protocol droid was sitting at the table in the galley when Cassian found him. "Hi-Five, can you find out where the closest planet is?" He asked. "I think the map that Princess Leia gave me is defective. I think I know the name of the planet that we're supposed to be going to, but it appears that its location keeps getting further away." The droid looked at Cassian. For a second, just a brief second, Cassian thought there was something decidedly human about the droid at that moment.

"I'm sorry. I am not programmed to detect planets." Hi-Five said.

"What?" Cassian was taken aback by the response. Hi-Five knew how to detect planets. He had watched the hunk of metal do it multiple times. The droid scanned the immediate area for planets almost daily.

"I cannot do that." Hi-Five repeated. Cassian growled in frustration. "I am not programmed for that." Hi-Five continued.

"You also can't lie. What were the orders Princess Leia gave you for this trip?" Cassian demanded. "I want every detail of your orders." Cassian said.

"I cannot tell you." Hi-Five said. "That information is classified. I'll be powering down now, I need some rest." The droid immediately powered off, not giving Cassian a chance to argue.

"Yeah, you do that." Cassian snapped. He sat down at the table, across from the droid. When it was powered down, it looked like a slumped over human sitting at the table. Cassian decided it was the perfect opportunity to disassemble and re-wire Hi-Five. The idea that Hi-Five was hiding something from Cassian became very real to him.

Jyn paced the cockpit watching an asteroid float lazily by the view port. She hated flying without hyper speed. There was no point in having a ship without hyper speed! Every now and then she would check the control panels, like Cassian showed her, but there was nothing there. There never was. No planets nearby, and the planet that they thought they were supposed to go to had moved off the map once again. She was staring at the map, watching small stars move in cyclic patterns when Cassian burst through the cockpit door.

"We've been lied to!" He shouted. Jyn jumped, hissing in fright.

"What are you talking about?" She asked. She realized that being on this ship had changed her. A few months ago, if someone had scared her like that, they would have been laid out flat. Now, her initial reaction was to cringe away from the offender. Cassian held up a small metallic chip, a cocky grin spread across his face.

"I just took this out of Hi-Five." He laughed.

"You disassembled Hi-Five?" She whined. "But Cassian, I hate cleaning. Hi-Five does it so well."

"You are going to love that I disassembled him." Cassian started. He leaned over the co-pilots seat and inserted the chip into a slot on the control panel. "He's been lying to us for weeks. Every time I leave him alone in the cockpit, he resets the map. That chip holds the entire list of orders that Princess Leia gave him." Cassian touched a few buttons on the panel. Where the map would normally appear, a hologram of Princess Leia jumped to life.

"H5F1, I have enlisted you to help the rebels. You will be joined by Cassian Andor, and Jyn Erso. They are rebel alliance members, who stole the plans for the Death Star. Darth Vader and General Tarkin will be looking for them. It is in their best interest, and the alliance's best interest that they disappear. They think that they are being sent to a deserted planet. The map that I gave them is a piece of a map that I acquired from an artifact exhibition. I have no idea where the map leads. H5F1, it is up to you to make sure that Erso and Andor do not return." The Princess' voice cut through the cockpit, and suddenly Jyn wished that they had both died on Scarif.

"I knew it!" She hissed. "We save the alliance and then we're exiled!" She was hurt, but mostly frustrated.

"Disable that damn map and find us somewhere to land." She demanded. She slammed her fist down on a button and the chip popped out of the panel. Throwing it to the floor, she stomped on it, shattering the small components beyond repair. "I'll scrap that droid, if it's the last thing I do!" Jyn stormed out of the cockpit. Cassian smiled at her sudden fire. For the first time in weeks, Jyn was excited about something. He didn't bother asking where she went, but he was sure that he had seen the last of Hi-Five. While she was away, he set a landing course for the nearest planet. It was six parsecs away, according to the more accurate, built in map. It would only take them a few more days to get there.

For what Cassian assumed was the rest of the afternoon, he didn't see or hear from Jyn. His excitement grew, however, as the nearest planet grew closer and closer on the navigation panel. He couldn't wait to tell Jyn that he found a planet to land on. For the first time since their journey started, he set the auto-pilot and left the cockpit to find Jyn. Normally, he would just call Hi-Five in to take over, but he now saw the error in doing that.

"Jyn," Cassian wandered down the corridor toward the galley, saying her name intermittently, hoping for an answer. As he passed the library, he said her name again. This time she responded.

"Cassian, I'm in here." Her voice didn't come from the library, but it sounded like it came from one of the repair terminals.

"What are you doing?" He asked standing outside the door. "Did something break?"

"Just my patients." She chuckled lightly. He heard a surge of electricity and a slight crackle. The smell of burning rubber floated out to him. "I'm using some parts from Hi-Five to try to fix the hyper drive." She explained. Cassian couldn't help but laugh at her. Standing outside the repair terminal looking in at her, he saw a petite woman, with disheveled hair and crazy eyes. He sighed as he watched her hands move meticulously through the wiring. He realized as she jumped back, cursing at a wire that gave her an electric shock, that he loved Jyn Erso. She could be crazy, and a little unorthodox, but he did love her.

"Jyn, I found a planet that is only six parsecs away!" He said excitedly. "If you fix that hyper drive we'll be there in no time." He said. Jyn dropped a tool she was holding in her hand.

"We're idiots!" She declared, almost joyfully. "It was taking us forever to travel to this new planet because we can't travel faster than the speed of light, Cassian. It didn't matter if Princess Leia was just trying to get rid of us, we never would have made it to the planet, because our hyper drive was disabled."

"Was?" Cassian asked. He wasn't sure if Jyn meant to use a past tense, but she did.

"Was. I fixed it. I scrapped that annoying little etiquette droid, and I fixed it!" Jyn growled. She was a mix of manic and ecstatic. She reached out of the repair terminal and pulled Cassian into a passionate kiss. Her grease covered hands left prints on either side of his face.

At first Cassian was shocked. Then, he deepened the kiss, pulling her out of the terminal. Jyn slammed him against the wall across from the terminal. Her greasy hands left stains on his shirt as she worked to unbutton the standard issue work shirt. His hands feverishly tried to brush Jyn's hair out of the way. He kissed down her neck on one side, and then the other. Her hands wandered, feeling every inch of Cassian that was visible. Cassian pulled away long enough to discard Jyn's shirt, and his own. He rotated positions, pinning her against the wall.

Cassian left a trail of kisses from her collar bone, to her naval. He hooked each thumb into the waist of Jyn's cargo pants and pulled them off her. Her panties soon followed. It was a long time coming. Both of them needed the release. It eased the tension that had been growing between them for weeks and allowed them to get past the distraction of attraction.

"The hyper drive is fixed." Jyn panted, pleased with herself, when they finally broke their embrace. They had moved from the wall to the floor of the hallway. She was curled into the crook of Cassian's arm. His eyes were closed, but they were both wide awake. Enjoying each other's company, for the first time. Cassian smiled to himself as he felt Jyn relax into his curled arm. He had imagined sex with her multiple times, but this was nothing like he imagined. Sex with Jyn was lustful, and passionate and absolutely perfect.

"We're going home." He laughed, he maneuvered his head and kissed Jyn on the forehead. "We're going to find a new home." He corrected himself. He resisted the urge to tell her that he loved it. Now wasn't the time for that.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: I Love You**

With the hyper drive fixed, most of Jyn and Cassian's worries were put on a shelf. They were going to a planet where they would make a life with each other. Jyn's mood had completely changed since they finally expressed their physical attraction and Cassian couldn't be happier. He kicked his feet up on the control panel, in the cock pit, as the ship lazily cruised around the atmosphere of their new home. He wasn't ready to land. He wanted to relish these last few hours, while the computers ran tests on the atmospheric components.

"I love you," He said. He wasn't speaking to anyone, he was practicing saying it to Jyn. He wanted to say it, but every time he thought he could, he choked. "I love you." His other-worldly accent made him sound dark, mysterious, and odd. He wondered how his accent would change as Jyn would be the only interaction he had. At least Hi-Five spoke his native language and sometimes had conversations with him in his own dialect. Jyn didn't know the language. Cassian wondered if his accent would fade, or if she would start sounding like him. He was thinking about that when the cockpit door opened. Jyn slid in, and leaned over the back of his chair. She kissed the side of his neck, sliding her hand under the collar of his shirt, down his chest.

Jyn watched as Cassian sat back, relaxing, letting the ship do all the work. After fixing the hyper drive, Jyn wasn't afraid to express how she felt about Cassian, and she did so frequently. Cassian didn't mind. She still had one hand under the collar of his shirt, the other hand was playing with his hair. Cassian turned his head up to her, and kissed her. He loved the way Jyn had been lately. She wasn't grumpy or sarcastic. She was sweet, almost affectionate. Definitely passionate.

Finally, Cassian did it. In his native tongue, he mumbled the three words that he had been so desperate to tell her. "I love you." He said in a language that Jyn didn't understand. "I love you." He said again, kissing her on the mouth again. He kept saying the words in his own language until Jyn pulled away.

"What are you saying?" She laughed. She kissed his Adam's apple. Cassian shivered.

"I love you." He finally said, in basic. Jyn didn't answer him, but she kissed his mouth. He was fine with her not saying it back. He understood that she wasn't the type of person to show affection like that. She had been taught from a young age, like he had been, that attachments meant weaknesses. They were interrupted by a beep from the control panel. Cassian broke their embrace and looked down at the panel. There were numbers flashing on one of the screens.

"We're ready to land." Cassian said. Jyn's eyes grew in excitement.

"Really ready to land?" She asked.

"Yes." Cassian began touching buttons, programming their descent pattern. "Ready to land and get a fresh start on life." He smiled.

The descent through the atmosphere of the new planet didn't take very long. All the readings told Cassian that the air was breathable and that fifty percent of the surface area was water. The ship broke through a cloud bank to reveal a large piece of land directly below them. Cassian exchanged a look with Jyn and pointed the nose of the ship toward the island.

"As good a place as any." He said. "I can't wait to start building our home." He remembered the building materials that Princess Leia had provided. Jyn looked out of the viewport and sighed. Finally, land and sunshine. She hoped there would be a nice breeze and she couldn't wait to walk along the beach and feel the water splash against her ankles. Jyn wondered if Cassian would enjoy the water, after their experience on Scarif.

As the ship touched down, Cassian began shutting components of the it down. Some components had been running for weeks, without a break. Without the components running, the ship was suddenly eerily quiet. Cassian could hear his heartbeat in his ears. The sound of Jyn breathing beside him was clear as a bell.

"Are you ready to go out there?" Cassian asked. Jyn surprised him and herself when she hesitated. He extended his hand to her and at first, she didn't take it. She didn't move, she just stared out the view port at the planet they landed on. "Jyn?" He said again. Smiling, she took his hand and stood up. "Let's go see our new home." Cassian suggested. He stepped toward the door of the cockpit, pulling her with him.

Stepping outside was literally stepping into a whole new world. The ship had been climate controlled. It was never colder than 65 degrees. Never warmer than 82. Each room had a different atmosphere. The plane that they landed on was warm, but not overbearing. The humidity made Cassian feel choked at first, but he quickly adjusted. He shrugged out of his pilot's jacket and slung it lazily over one shoulder. Jyn was wearing a bomber's jacket, but she kept it on. They continued to hold hands as they walked away from the ship. When they were about fifteen yards away from the ship, and even further from the shore of the island that they landed on, Cassian stopped. He stood at the tree line of the beach.

"Is this a good place to build a home?" Cassian asked. Jyn turned to look back from where they walked. "It's far enough from the beach that flooding shouldn't be a problem. Close enough to the ship that I won't have far to carry the building supplies. What do you think?" He asked.

"It's perfect. It's absolutely perfect." Jyn enthused. She kissed him. A breeze blew her hair forward, tangling it around them. "And it's breezy." She sighed. "I could love it here."

"Good."

"Let's go see the beach!" Jyn pulled Cassian toward the sandy shore.

"I've got work to do." Cassian tried.

"Not today. We'll sleep in the ship until we know what the nights are like here. Then we'll start building our house." Jyn thought her plan was logical enough. Cassian grimaced. "Cassian, if you don't want to go because of… well, what happened, you don't have to go. Stay here, and relax. I'm going to go for a walk to the beach. I won't go far, though." She said letting go of his hand. Immediately, he grabbed out for her, pulling her in for a kiss before letting her go.

Cassian watched as she walked away, wondering if she could sense his fear of that beach. He wondered how she wasn't afraid. They could have died on a beach so similar to that one, and she was so eager to go to the water. It was unnerving. He sat down under a tree and watched her walk away. It sounded old fashion, but all Cassian wanted to do was settle in on the planet and make it a home for him and Jyn.

A while later Jyn returned. The legs of her pants were wet, up to her knees, and for the first time in a very long time, even before Scarif, Cassian saw a genuine smile on her face. He realized that standing here, now, was the first time she had been really free, in a really long time. She was a prisoner when he and K2S0 freed her. In the time that Jyn was on the beach, Cassian had sketched a plan for their house. He couldn't wait to show her.

"Oh, Cassian," She sat down next to him under the tree. "I absolutely love it here. The beach stretches for miles around the island. The water is so calm, and warm. I thought it would be cold, but it's not. This place is perfect." Jyn went on and on. Cassian didn't stop her.

"I'm glad you're so happy here," He said in basic, "my love," He added in his native language.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: The Beach**

A month or more went by as Cassian built their home. Jyn helped where she could, but she knew very little about building anything. She always complimented his progress, excited about finally being able to live in a home, and not on a ship. The house was a simple one floor home with six rooms, but it would be perfect when Cassian was finished because he was building it himself.

Every day while Cassian built their home, Jyn wandered around the beach. Cass asked her not to go into the woods alone, so she didn't. She'd walk along the beach and fish for dinner, or dig into the sand looking for oyster and clam shells. All the time she spent on the beach made her happier and happier, until one exceptionally warm day. She was walking along the beach when she decided to stop and dig into the sand. Kneeling in the soft sand, she got to work. It wasn't long before she had a small pile of oyster shells lying beside her.

A warm breeze blew across her face and she froze. Instant flashbacks from Scarif flooded her mind. She could smell the blood in the air, feel the vibrations of the planet being destroyed. She could even see the waves coming toward her, across the ocean—a result of the seismic activity of the planet being destroyed. Jyn was suddenly helpless, frozen in a memory that she would rather forget. Unbeknownst to her, she began screaming, attracting the attention of Cassian.

Cassian ran up the beach, as fast as he could toward Jyn's blood curdling screams. He was nailing down a section of the roof when the screams drifted toward him. Immediately he stopped what he was doing. He knew that Jyn was the only other person on the island, but he didn't know what lurked in the woods, waiting to exploit a weakness when it saw one. Jyn was a mile away from their camp, kneeling in the sand when he reached her. There was no sign of danger around her, just the sand, and a pile of shells. He fell to his knees beside.

"Jyn," He said. She wouldn't stop screaming. He wrapped his arms around her, tightly, and pulled her close to him. "Jyn," He whispered softly in her ear. In this position, he realized why she was screaming. As a pilot in the rebellion, he often heard of soldiers having flash backs of particularly trying battles. This was one of those times for Jyn. Something had triggered the memories from Scarif. Those memories had a crippling effect on her, just like they did on rebellion soldiers.

Cassian stood up, pulling Jyn to her feet. Her screams had stopped, now he could get her attention on him and help her through the flash back. A warm breeze blew her hair across her face, he reached up gently and brushed it away revealing her eyes. Big, brown, and full of sadness her eyes were fixated on the shoreline. Cassian spun her around so that she couldn't see the water.

"Look at me." He whispered. Rudely, he snapped his fingers in front of her face. "Look at me, Jyn." He commanded. Her eyes shifted enough to focus on his face. "What happened?"

"I was back on Scarif." She sobbed, burying her head in his shoulder. "The hot breeze, the smell of blood. It was all there. On Scarif, where we almost died. He wrapped his arms around her. It was all he could do. He wanted to take all her pain and suffering away, but all he could do was hug her, on a beach, as memories of their imminent doom washed over her.

"Hey, we survived that, remember. We survived and now we're here, and our house is almost finished. We're happy. We survived after so many people died, Jyn. We are the galaxies luckiest people. We have an entire planet to ourselves." He heard her sniffle. "I'll always protect you," He added. Jyn snuggled into his arms.

"Cassian, I'm not okay." Jyn finally admitted. After months of pretending that the events on Scarif didn't bother her, she realized that they did. They had haunted her memories and dreams since her first night away from the planet, back on Ackbar's ship.

"Hey, hey, you're not right now, but you will be. Jyn, there have been so many sleepless nights that I have sat awake wondering if you can't sleep too, because of that day on Scarif. Now that we know we're both troubled by it, we can talk about it." Cassian said. He thought he sounded rational, and mature, but Jyn's response was angry.

"Stop being so nice and understanding!" Jyn snapped. "Tell me I'm crazy. Tell me I'm being irrational!" Jyn shouted at Cassian, pulling away from him. "I'm not supposed to feel the way that I do. I am a prison survivor. I'm stronger than this. I've led a hard life. Simple things like escaping death, by seconds, aren't supposed to bother me. It was my way of life." She snapped. Cassian looked down at her, not sure how to respond, at first.

"It was your way of life." He started. "You're learning to be human, not a machine. Feeling the way, you do is normal, love." Cassian tried to explain. He was speaking, in hopes to comfort Jyn, but he wondered how much of what he was saying, was true. She grew up an orphan, abandoned by the only person she trusted. He grew up an orphan, fighting desperately to keep his father's legacy alive. They were so much alike, but he handled things so different than she did. "We're both learning to be human." He added.

They stood on the beach, for a long time, in silence after that, just holding each other. The closeness was something that Cassian wanted, he believed it was something that Jyn needed. She had been alone for far too long. He knew that even the time they spent together before that moment, was meaningless to her.

"I love you." Cassian whispered in Jyn's ear, as the sun dipped below the horizon. They spent all afternoon standing on the beach. It could have been a perfect afternoon, in another world. In this world, the one that Cassian was living in, it was an afternoon of discovery.

The breeze turned chilly as they began walking back to the house that was almost finished. Cassian had his arm around Jyn, and for the first time, Jyn felt something stir deep inside her. It could have been hunger, but she knew that this was something different. Her mother talked of this when she was little. Butterflies. It was a sign of nervousness, or excitement. Jyn wasn't sure why she was experiencing the sensation now, but she assumed it had something to do with Cassian. Cassian said he would always be there for her, to protect her, but Jyn, by default suspected that that wouldn't always be true. She couldn't help it. It was that same feeling of doubt that refused to allow her to get truly attached to Cassian.

That night, they slept in the ship. Jyn slept in the small quarters that she used before landing, and Cassian slept in the cockpit. The cockpit had the best view of the beach, and was the best place for a look out. As she slept, Jyn had odd dreams. One second she was kneeling on the beach of Scarif, the next, she was standing in a forest, a tall man in dark armor loomed toward her. She woke up frequently, with the image of the man burned into her memory.

Cassian slept in the pilot's seat, reclined back with his feet on the control panel. When he slept, he slept soundly, but he spent most of his night wide awake, watching the almost full moon move across the sky. A shooting star flew across the view port every now and then, but Cassian didn't believe in wishing on a shooting star. He watched the sky, and then the beach, then he'd watch the tree line. It was all the same—everything was quiet, and deserted. For the last time, as the sky began to lighten into the first stages of dawn, he drifted off to sleep. He dreamt that he was walking up the beach. Instead of his blaster, he was carrying a strange weapon in his hand. He pressed the button on the side, and a beam shot out of it, humming intensely, like live electricity coursed through it.

In his dream, Cassian brought the weapon to eye level. It looked like a sword made of energy. When he moved it, the energy hummed louder, more aggressively. The version of him in his dream wondered what kind of weapon it was. He thought it was called a lightsaber, but he wondered how he got his hands on one. It was a weapon of a Jedi, Jedi were extinct now, or at least that's what they were told in training camp.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: Lost Transmissions**

Together, Jyn and Cassian decided to reassemble Hi-Five. Mostly out of sheer boredom, they spent one entire afternoon in the ship's galley piecing him back together. Jyn's disassembly left the droid in several pieces, but for the two of them the job was easy. While they worked, they talked. Jyn told stories of her teen years, traveling around the galaxy with Gerrera was an adventure that she looked back on fondly, until the very end of their time together. Cassian told war stories, and stories of high speed chases through canyons and trenches. It was the type of conversation you have with an old friend. Sometimes Jyn would tell Cassian stories about the prison camps she had been in, some of the stories were funny, others were terrifying. Often, they left him wondering how Jyn had survived in a world where she spent her life being unwanted.

As Cassian connected the last wires from the droid's eyes to his motherboard, Jyn was telling him a story about how she spent a week in solitary confinement for attempting to steal food from another prisoner. The differences in their lives were truly amazing, Cassian believed that it was fate that brought them together—not the demands of the Rebellion.

"Are you ready to turn his power supply on?" Cassian asked. Jyn nodded and connected the motherboard of the droid into the battery pack. At first nothing happened, but then three mechanical beeps rang out from the speech mechanism. That was followed by a string of languages that neither of them understood. Finally the droid began to speak in basic.

"Hello. I am H5F1", the droid started.

"Skip introduction." Cassian said firmly.

"May I have the name of my master?" H5F1 asked.

"Cassian Andor." Cassian spoke to the droid, carefully.

"Hello, Cassian. How can I assist you today?" Hi-Five asked.

"I would like to view your database." Cassian said. He had a feeling it wouldn't be as simple as asking, but was pleasantly surprised when the droid started reading off database commands, like an automated phone system.

"Access transmission records." Cassian said, cutting off the rest of the options.

"First transmission; from Princess Leia of Alderaan. Message length: 25 seconds."

"Access." Jyn said, eagerly.

"Hi-Five, it is very important that you not let Cassian and Jyn land the ship on any planet. The empire has tracked the ship and will be tailing them. Do not let them land the ship. I'll send you another transmission as soon as I figure out where to have them land." Princess Leia's voice echoed through the droid's mouth piece, in panic. Cassian looked up at Jyn, concerned.

"Second transmission; from Princess Leia of Alderaan. Message length: 34 seconds." Hi-Five continued. This time Cassian didn't need to ask for access, the message started playing automatically. "Hi-Five, the empire is roughly 28 days behind the ship. With Hyper drive disabled, it will be harder to track the ship, but I fear that they will catch up. Do not let Cassian and Jyn land the ship."

"Jyn, how long have we been on the island?"

"A month, I bet. Maybe more." Jyn said.

"Third transmission; from Princess Leia of Alderaan. Message length: 25 seconds." Hi-Five continued. "Hi-Five it has been a while since I have heard anything from you. I hope you haven't let them land. The empire has bounty hunters and free contractors looking for them."

"Cassian, we shouldn't have deactivated Hi-Five." Jyn bit back sudden worry.

"We didn't know." Cassian tried to justify their actions. "How could we know that the Empire was on their way to find us?" He said.

"What if they find us?" Jyn asked. Cassian shrugged. What if the Empire did find them? They didn't have very many options. They could run, but technically, they were already doing that. They could try to fight, but even then, their chances weren't that great. Cassian didn't know how to answer. He sighed and flipped the power source for the droid to its off position. He didn't want to hear any more transmission.

"Jyn, they've probably already found us. They're probably up there right now, just beyond the atmosphere, looking down on us, waiting to make their move. When they do, when they decide its time to do that, they'll kill us." Cassian said, convinced that death was his fate. He stood up and walked to the doorway. "While I'm still alive, I'm going to enjoy the beach and the sun." Cassian walked out of the galley. Jyn sat at the table, quiet, for a long time. She was still struggling with expressing her feelings to Cassian, and the news of the transmissions was a bit overwhelming.

Hours later, Cassian returned to the galley to find Jyn sitting exactly where he left her. Hi-Five was still powered down, next to her. He joined her at the table and put one arm, gingerly around her.

"Are you okay?" Cassian asked. Jyn nodded. "No, tell me the truth." He said.

"I'm scared." Jyn finally said, quietly. Barely audible, she continued. "I wasn't scared when we were on Scarif. Angry, yes, but not scared. I was ready to die. I had nothing to live for, but now, Cassian, I'm terrified."

"You found a reason to keep fighting." Cassian said.

Jyn looked up at him, biting her bottom lip. She didn't know how to say what she wanted to say. The reason to keep fighting was him. The reason she was so scared this time, was not because she could die, but because she could lose him.

"You." Was all she managed to say. A tear fell from her eye and down her cheek.

"What?" Cassian asked. He assumed that he misheard her.

"You're my reason to keep fighting." Jyn said. "You taught me how to be human."

The sun was setting over the water as they walked from the ship to the house that evening. Cassian had his arm wrapped around Jyn's shoulder. They hadn't talked much after they heard the transmissions, but Cassian wondered how long they had until someone found them. He looked up at the sky before following Jyn inside. There were a few stars, just barely visible in the sunset. One star, directly overhead, was Cassian's favorite. It was visible most of the day, except at high noon. He was about to step through the door when a scream froze him in his tracks. He forgot that Jyn went in ahead of him. The smell of blaster fire drifted through the open door toward him.

"Jyn!" He shouted, unfreezing and bounding through the door. "Jyn!" He looked around the small front room of their home. There was no one around. A sob came from the room at the other side of the house. "Jyn!" He walked around the homemade couch to the door of the other room. It was a small bedroom that Jyn claimed as her own. The door was ajar, and there was something in the room that shouldn't be there.

"What the hell?" Cassian said, in his native language. "Jyn?" The room was filled with smoke.

"Cassian," The petit woman sobbed, from an unseen corner. "Cassian, don't." She started. He didn't hear the rest of what she said. A large paw came down on the back of his neck, knocking him out cold. e the truth." to her. He joined her at the table and put one arm, gingerly around her. "yes were an amazing green colo


	8. Chapter 8

I'm not sure if I am going to actually keep this chapter. I was working on a different idea for what happens after Cassian gets knocked out, when a friend suggested that I introduce Han and Chewie to the story. The alternative chapter eight, might be posted later on, when I'm finished with the story.

 **Chapter Eight: Han Solo and Chewbacca**

Cassian came to not long after he was knocked out. The room had cleared of the smoke, but he had a splitting headache. The back of his skull ached; the pressure behind his eyes made him squint in pain. He realized that he was sitting on the floor, leaning against the bed. His hands were behind his back, secured tightly with something that was cold against his wrists. Jyn wasn't anywhere in his vision. What he did see was a gaping hole in the wall of the bedroom. The edges of the hole were singed black. It was a hole that could have been made by Cassian's modified blaster. A hole like that would have left anything in the blaster's path, fried.

"Jyn," He whispered hoarsely.

"Cassian, shh, don't be too loud, they'll hear us. Are you okay?" Jyn asked. Cassian tried to move his arms but couldn't. He leaned forward, away from the bed and realized that he was handcuffed to the metal bedframe.

"I'm handcuffed, but I think I'm okay. What's going on?" He asked.

"They have me handcuffed too. They were robbing us, I think."

"How long was I out?" Cassian asked.

"Fifteen minutes, twenty at the most." Jyn said. Cassian swore in his native language. He tried to pull himself to his knees, but the handcuffs made it difficult.

"Are you hurt?" He asked Jyn. He tried pulling away from the bedframe again, with no luck.

"No. I'm fine. They didn't even touch me." Jyn explained.

"They're lucky." Cassian snarled. He heard footsteps coming back into the bedroom. He looked up and watched the door. A young man, about Cassian's age walked in. He was wearing blue pants and black boots. A leather vest was over a long sleeved white shirt. Instantly, Cassian hated him.

"As if luck had anything to do with me finding you. You should consider yourself lucky that I found you before someone else did." The man bit at Cassian's remark. "Name's Han Solo. You're Cassian Andor?" Han asked. Cassian snarled again, like a rabid dog. "Nice to meet you too." Han said. He walked around the bed and uncuffed Jyn. He helped her to her feet before coming back around to Cassian.

"I don't want to harm you. Although, she wanted to harm me." Han turned his attention to Jyn. "Sorry I had to tie you up. You scared Chewie." He said, accusingly. He uncuffed Cassian and helped him to his feet as well.

"What's a chewie?" Cassian asked. He knew basic, very well, but he had never heard the term "Chewie" before.

"Chewie. Chewbacca. He's a wookie." Han said.

"A what?" Jyn asked.

"A wookie. Indigenous to the planet Kashyyyk." Han said. The creature appeared in the doorway of the bedroom and roared. Jyn looked at the creature, her eyebrows raised. "No, she's not going to hurt you. She doesn't have any weapons." Han explained to the creature. Cassian looked from Jyn to the wookie. He tried to fight back a chuckle.

"He's scared of her?" Cassian laughed. "What are you doing here, anyway?" Cassian asked.

"Our ship broke down, we just stopped here so I could make some repairs. I saw a cabin, and thought I'd scavenge around a bit and look for some supplies." Han explained.

"Do you know who we are?" Cassian asked. Jyn crossed her arms, staring Han down.

"Well you weren't exactly quiet about it, were you? I'm assuming you're the missing pilot and his accomplice." Han said. Chewbacca roared in agreement.

"I am Andy Kessler." Cassian said. "I was a pilot for the resistance." He said. "I retired, quietly." He added. He walked over to Jyn and put his arm around her shoulder. "This is my wife, Kali." He lied. Chewbacca growled in disapproval. Cassian looked at the creature, wondering if the giant fur ball could tell that he was lying. He looked at Han, who was not convinced.

"Funny, cuz you look just like Cassian Andor. The missing pilot." Han corrected him. "Let's go outside and chat. Chewie is claustrophobic."

"You're going to take us prisoner, aren't you?" Jyn asked. She followed the men out of the bedroom into the living room. They kept going until they were outside, standing on the grass between the house and beach.

"Take you as prisoner? Why would I do that? I don't have room on my ship for some scrappy little girl and a runaway pilot." Han explained.

"You're not going to do anything to us?" Jyn asked. Han scoffed, amused at Jyn's confusion. "Isn't this how it works though, you find the runaway pilot, and take him back to whoever has a bounty out for him? You collect your reward and then go on to the next payday?" Jyn rambled. Han looked at Cassian, an expression of worry passed over his face.

"What's wrong with her?" Han asked.

"She gets excited." Cassian laughed. He put his arm around Jyn, pulling her in close to him. Cassian kissed Jyn on the forehead. "We've been here a while, so she doesn't trust many people."

"How long do you plan to stay here?" Han asked. It was a fair question. Now that the Empire knew where they were, was it safe to stay on the planet? Cassian shrugged. "If you need a lift off the planet, I could give you a ride if you let me scrap your ship to repair mine." Han suggested. "I give you a lift, you give me the parts that I need." Han continued, trying to make the deal sound as good as he could.

"Let us talk it over." Cassian said. "Spend the night on your ship and tomorrow, we'll talk more about it." Cassian spoke firmly to Han. Han extended his hand, accepting Cassian's offer. They shook hands. Han walked off, toward his ship, Chewbacca followed him, swinging his arms lazily as he walked. Cassian turned to Jyn, "let's go inside. We'll sleep in the front room tonight, until I can fix the bedroom wall."

Cassian and Jyn talked about the prospect of leaving the planet for most of the night. They talked about the possibilities if they left, and what would happen if they stayed. There were a lot of things that they had to discuss, including what would happen if the planet experienced any kind of colder weather. So far, the coldest that the nights got was still warm, but Jyn was worried about what winter would bring for them. Their ship didn't have heat, unless it was operational, the house didn't have heat, unless they started a fire. While that was a possibility, Jyn did not like the idea of starting a fire in a house made entirely of wood. At breakfast the next morning, Han and Chewbacca hadn't joined them yet, when Cassian finally asked the question that Jyn wasn't ready to answer.

"Do you want to go with him?" Cassian asked, over a plate of pancakes. Jyn grimaced. It was a hard question to answer. She had finally made herself comfortable around Cassian. She was comfortable around him and happy on the deserted planet. Leaving the planet might jeopardize that.

"I don't know. I know how hard winter is going to be, if there is a winter on this planet, but at the same time, you and I have made a life here. I'm happy here." Jyn said. Cassian smiled at her. It was the closest he would get to her saying that she loved him.

"I'm happy here too, but if there's a chance we could make it somewhere else, shouldn't we take that chance? Just in case the Empire does find us?" He asked. Jyn sighed. Cassian was right, as he often was, but she was still weary of Han. Cassian reached across the table and put his hand over Jyn's.

"We don't have to trust him, but if he can get us a one-way ticket to somewhere better, I think we should risk it. Then, we can live happily ever after, on a planet that will allow us to have a home, instead of build it, and go to dinner, instead of hunt for it."

"Ok," Jyn conceded, "We'll go with him, but at the first sign of trouble, we bail." Jyn laid down the rules, simply and continued eating breakfast. Cassian nodded.

"When I'm done eating, I'll go talk to Han, then we can start packing to leave." Cassian said.

As soon as Cassian gave Han the go ahead, he started repairing the ship. Cassian helped Jyn pack up most of their belongings. Everything personal was packed into two large trunks that they found in their own ship. They took the rest of the food stores and gave them to Han for his own ship. It only took part of the afternoon to pack everything into Han's ship while he repaired the broken parts. The sun was starting to set when Han came up to Jyn and Cassian and told them that they were read to leave. The couple was sitting on the beach, watching their last sunset on the planet. Jyn had her head resting on Cassian's shoulder. It was a moment, for the two of them, that they would remember forever. They followed Han back to the ship and joined him and Chewbacca on board.

"This is the Millennium Falcon." Han said. Jyn looked around. It was an old ship, but she could tell that it was well taken care of. "I only have one rule on this ship. If you are going to sleep together, please do so in your own quarters. The first time I catch you messing around in the galley, I'm throwing you in an escape pod and wishing you luck!" Han declared. Chewbacca growled, playfully from the loading ramp.

"Deal," Cassian laughed, shaking Han's hand.

"Come on, I don't have visitors seating, so you're going to have to sit in the cockpit during takeoff." Han explained. Chewbacca moved out of the way so that Jyn and Cassian could follow Han through the ship.

As the ship began to liftoff the planet, Cassian looked out the view port. Below the ship, the house that he built was becoming smaller and smaller. The beach that Jyn loved so much was shrinking into the sea. He didn't say anything to Jyn, but as the small island grew farther and farther away, Cassian realized that it was the only piece of land on the entire planet. They really were stranded on a deserted island, on a deserted planet. He put his arm around Jyn and kissed her cheek. She turned her head and caught his lips with hers.

"I love you." She whispered to him. It was the first time she said it, and she meant it. Her and Cassian were finally one, cohesive unit. They made decisions together, and looked out for each other. She knew that with him by her side, she'd be just fine. Even if she didn't trust Han Solo.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine: Life After Death**

The planet that Han Solo dropped Cassian and Jyn off on was a gorgeous planet that he told them was neutral in the wars. It was a planet just past the outer rim that was most known for its spice mining, but it had a beautiful lake resort that was a tourist attraction for many. The lake waters were nothing like Jyn had ever seen. As they lapped onto the shores of the beach, they stained the white sand a pale purple color. Han knew the resort manager, and it wasn't long before he had Cassian and Jyn set up in a small condo right near the beach. The only stipulation was that they help the resort manager with a thug problem, when he needed help. With no questions, the couple agreed and Han helped them move into the condo.

Cassian soon realized that life at the resort was nearly perfect. He spent his days with Jyn. Sometimes they would spend their time at the beach, other times they would walk around the resort, which was the size of a small village. In the evenings, Cassian would go to one of the nightclubs that the resort manager owned and help him with the thug problem—it wasn't a big deal, sometimes Cassian would throw someone who was too drunk out of the club. He would walk patrons to their transports. It wasn't a hard job, and he enjoyed it, for the most part. The life that he and Jyn adapted to at the Resort couldn't have been simpler. That's why he knew something was bound to go wrong.

It was almost a year after he started helping at the night club regularly that Cassian ran into his first problem. He was walking a group of men to their transports, all of them were drunk, but one kept staring at Cassian, as if he knew who Cassian was. He did know who Cassian was, but Cassian was hoping he had forgotten.

Cassian brought the men to their transports and waited patiently as they drunkenly loaded themselves into the seats. It was Cassian's job to make sure that they initiated auto-pilot and that the home address sequence was started before he left. As he watched one of the pilots type in the codes, the man who should have known Cassian leaned over to him.

"I know who you are!" The man said excitedly.

"Who am I?" Cassian asked, trying to be cool.

"You are Cassian Andor. Resistance pilot." The man said. Cassian watched the man's face, carefully. The man's eyes narrowed as they studied each other. "Aren't you?" He added, a note of doubt in his voice.

"What do you think?" Cassian asked, trying to confuse him. He knew that a way to confuse those who doubted was to keep asking questions.

"I think you are." The man said. Cassian reacted quickly when he did react. He pulled the man out of the transport. The other men shouted in anger and confusion.

"He's too drunk to drive." Cassian retorted.

"He wasn't driving." Another member of their group said. They all looked at Cassian, even the man who knew him. "Put him back in this speeder, right now!"

"No. I can't. I must take him back inside, right now. Go home without him men, or you could be arrested." Cassian lied. He was hoping they were drunk enough to believe him. They looked at the man that Cassian pulled out of the speeder. The man shrugged and encouraged his friends to leave. Slowly, still skeptical of Cassian, the men pulled away.

"How do you know who I am?" Cassian asked.

"We worked together for years. We flew so many missions in the same squadron we were practically brothers. How do you expect me not to know?" The man asked. "Everyone thinks you're dead." He added, angrily.

"Everyone is supposed to think I'm dead. I'm wanted by the Empire." Cassian explained. "I moved here to keep out of their way."

"No one survived the battle of Scarif." The man said.

"I did. So, did a woman called Jyn. We live here now, in hiding."

"I don't understand." The man laughed.

"I don't either, really. Everything happened so quickly. We came so close to death and then I used a teleportation system to get us off Scarif, and the next thing I knew I was in a hospital room aboard a ship, and then I met Princess Leia. I lived on a deserted planet for a while, then I lived here. Jyn has been with me ever since we got off Scarif." Cassian explained, quickly. He led the man toward the resort hotel. "Come upstairs, we'll talk." Cassian said. Cassian knew it was dangerous, but he brought the man upstairs. He knew that if the man talked, at all, he and Jyn could be on the run again.

As Cassian reached the floor of their condo, he reflected on how much had changed in the year that had gone by. He and Jyn were together now, officially, as she called it, and had been for quite some time. They decided on that when she brought home a man from the resort cantina, and Cassian became insanely jealous. He declared his love for her, and she admitted that her feels for him were just as strong. After that they only saw each other. Cassian loved it.

Jyn was sitting on the couch in the living room when Cassian came home. It was earlier than she was expecting him. She could sense that he wasn't alone before he even opened the door and she was halfway to the kitchen when they came in.

"Jyn, I brought a guest." Cassian said, walking through the living room.

"I know. I'm making coffee. Make yourself comfortable in the living room." Jyn said. She had decided to attempt to become more domestic. She tried to make dinner for Cassian every night. She redecorated the condo to make it more of a home. Sometimes she even dressed up, like a housewife.

"Who is your friend?" Jyn asked, bringing the carafe of coffee into the living room. She sat it on the coffee table and retrieved three mugs from the china cabinet.

"This is Crispin. We were in the resistance together." Cassian said.

"And now you're here!" Jyn feigned excitement. She was anything but excited about their guest. Guests meant that people knew they were alive, and Jyn knew what that meant.

"Yes. I thought catching up would be nice." Cassian said. He stood up and walked around the table to Jyn. "And I thought we could threaten him with silence." Cassian whispered, hoarsely in her ear. Jyn smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"That's a brilliant idea." She said out loud. "Crispin, Cassian tells me that you met at the cantina down by the beach." Jyn said.

For a long time, Jyn and Cassian talked with Crispin. Cassian filled Crispin in on everything he had been through since the day on Scarif, when the message came through to the pilots that Cassian had been a victim of the destruction. Crispin told him that, in honor of him, a squadron was named after him. The squadron frequently flew training missions over the airspace of what should have been Scarif. Finally, when they were finished talking for the night, Cassian walked Crispin to the door. He vowed to keep Cassian's secret. No threats were necessary.

"So this is what it's like to live after everyone else thinks you're dead." Crispin mused as he said good bye to his old friend.

"And I couldn't be happier." Cassian said. "I've made a good life, even after my death."

Cassian shook hands with his old friend one final time and then shut the door. He sighed, it was late and he was tired, but his night wasn't over. He walked to the bedroom where he found Jyn. In another world, in another life, she might have been getting ready for bed, or even lying on the bedspread waiting for him to join her. She might have already been asleep. In this life, however, she had a trunk open, in middle of the floor. She was throwing clothes, and shoes, and personal belongings into the trunk. Without hesitation, Cassian joined her. He piled shirts and pants on top of each other and tossed them into the trunk. He took special care with a few framed pictures that were around the room, each picture was of him and Jyn, and now they were buried under clothes.

"How long do we have?" Jyn asked.

"An hour, maybe two, if we're lucky. If I know Crispin, he's going to radio in as soon as he gets back to his transport." Cassian said. Together they ripped the bedspread off the mattress and stuffed it into the trunk. They forced the lid closed and then Cassian put a small black device on it. It was a device that made carrying it much easier. The trunk and everything it became weightless, a true piece of magic for frequent travelers. Cassian had bought it from a man in the cantina months before.

"Where are, we going to go?" Jyn asked.

"We'll figure it out." Cassian reassured her. "Life after death will be spent running from those who are still alive." He added, cryptically. He and Jyn carried the trunk out to the living room, and then out the door. Cassian reached up and turned the lights off as they left the condo for the last time.


End file.
